True Detective: "Form and Void" Review

Updated on March 10, 2014

SPOILERS AHEAD

This show deserves all kinds of praise for it's writing, it's pacing, direction and of course acting. Of course, all of this was in top form for it's season finale as we saw Marty and Rust found their man. This entire sequence had plenty of tension as Lawnmower man (or Errol Childress) led Rust further and further through the very real version of Carcosa. It was creepy, but it felt right for the show as well. Having Errol's voice seemingly echo through the catacombs telling Rust, "Come die with me, little priest!" simply added to chilling atmosphere. The catacombs were filled with the sculptures we have become so accustomed to and all of the branches seemed to help lead Rust to his showdown with Errol. It was truly well done and some praise should go to the production design as well for it really helped make the entire sequence.

Before getting Errol, they of course had to do their research to get to him. Thanks to their talk with Gerasi, which albeit was both intense but also had it's more comedic moments in how they handled him. Once Rust and Marty had a general consensus of what the mystery man was doing, it didn't take long for them to connect the dots as to who this man was. However, the most frustrating part of this episode had to have been that Papania still did not trust Rust and Marty while even still going back to the race difference between the two which felt a bit forced.

The true shining moment of the entire episode came in the final moments between Rust and Marty where Rust once again said "I shouldn't be here." He finally explained what he meant by that by telling Marty that when he was fighting for his life that he felt the people that are closest to him waiting for him and how it felt so warm. This of course, is terrific character development. Rust in the beginning of the show struggled to find a reason to live and was a nihilist, and now he has found the meaning of life. He used to say love was a joke, but having come so close to his end, he realizes the error in his thinking. He even explains to Marty that the world is constantly in a fight between dark and light and which Marty says, "it looks like dark covers more territory." Rust that counters that sentiment by saying "Once there was only dark, if you ask me the light's winning." It is a nice touch showing that in a way, Marty has become more of a pessimist then Rust.

I have said before that Rust is the most complex and interesting character that I have seen on television, and I stand by that statement now that the show has come to an end. His entire arc was incredible to watch and it was brilliantly portrayed by Matthew McConaughey. He truly deserves an award for his work on this show, and a lot of other people involved on this show deserve awards. Nic Pizzolatto deserves praise being a first time show runner for his work on the show and how he created such an engaging world for us to get sucked up into. Cary Fukunaga also did a terrific job behind the camera and it is no surprise that he is getting offers to direct films on the big screen now.

Some may complain that the show did have some loose ends with the minor characters, but this show was always about Rust and Marty and of course the case. As Marty said, "We didn't get them all. And we aren't going to get them all. But we got ours." It is as simple as that and it is believable that Gilbough and Papania wrapped up the rest of the case going after all of the other players like the Tuttles. The true heart of this show was always Rust and Marty, and it ended with them walking off together. It was nice to also see them talk about the incident with Maggie giving themselves closure on it, while also opening the door for Marty to get back together with her as he put aside his resentment. Marty had darkness inside of him as he continuously lied to her throughout their relationship, while she found solace in her friendship with Rust due to how honest he was with her. In the end, both Rust and Marty had a happy ending. Marty got his family back having realized his previous mistakes and Rust realized the meaning of life. It truly is a terrific television series, it is a shame that we don't get to see more of these wonderful characters but if we did, that would be purely a money grab. I look forward to what Pizzolato has in for us next season.

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